Reasons for missed healthcare appointments are complex, interconnected, and continuously evolving. Appointment no-shows can be attributed to factors as diverse as lack of transportation, unstable housing, travel, and appointment wait times, lack of childcare or eldercare, not being able to get off work, inability to pay copays, not seeing the importance or value of the appointment, experiencing discrimination, and not feeling respected or understood by providers. Additional drivers of non-adherence are similarly unique to each individual, including attitudes toward the medical system, cultural background, interpersonal factors, and cognitive factors such as health literacy. This interplay of factors means that the most underserved communities — those experiencing the most significant health inequities — also face the biggest barriers to attending medical appointments. Given this complexity, it’s not surprising that efforts to reduce appointment no-shows via reminder calls and open-access scheduling have failed to meaningfully improve patient outcomes. The Aqueduct team wants to support you in solving this serious healthcare challenge.

Aqueduct is sponsoring a funding opportunity for students interested in technology interventions for patient adherence. We’re inviting individuals to submit their ideas for using our technology to improve healthcare appointment no-shows. Writing the proposal application will take ~30 minutes (due December 2nd), and winners of the first round get $500 in prize money. Finalists will receive up to $5,000 in funding and professional mentorship for running a clinical trial intervention. To learn more and apply: https://forms.gle/h6W6gfyanAkrsegb8.

Applications are due Friday, December 2, 2022, at 11:59pm ET. An interdisciplinary panel of experts in patient adherence will review applications on a rolling basis. Semi-finalists will be notified via e-mail by December 16th, 2022.

Questions? Contact Dr. Aviva Ariel-Donges